When my little boy was born I did all the things I ‘should do’ to fit in with the mum squad. This included amongst the numerous coffee and cake mornings, baby classes. To be honest some were great and some, well they did nothing for me and I’m not sure what my little baby got out of them as he was just along for the ride.
Now I know that everyone is different in their likes, wants and needs but one thing we both did enjoy and I know he did too as there were lots of smiles and giggles, was baby yoga.
So what was different? Well mum and baby yoga wasn’t just a class for him where I didn’t get anything out of it (and I don’t mean watching him smile and giggle did nothing for me but I do need a little something adult for my entertainment too). And it wasn’t a class just for me where he was stuck in a buggy with no baby entertainment. It was a class for both of us. Yoga for mom, yoga for baby and yoga for two. And not a neon coloured class with bright lights which quite frankly is not good for a sleep deprived new mom!
And not only that the benefits of yoga are just as amazing for a baby as they are for an adult. For babies yoga helps with their digestion, relieves colic and constipation, allows them to enjoy sleep patterns, entertains them through the repetitive movements, strengthens their bodies, aids in fine and gross motor skills, the list is endless. WOW!
And what about mom. Well not to mention helping her get back into a fit and healthy lifestyle (body and mind), build strength and rebuild on the muscles overworked in pregnancy and birth, and get a back on the mat, or if you have never been there before discover a new practice, but also mom and baby yoga helps you meet that all important new mom gang (and trust me the yogi moms were my type of moms!)
Life as a new mom can be lonely especially without the close support network if family is afar. New mom hood is a life of sleepless nights and long days navigating the journey of a newborn. All this is suddenly so much easier and more refreshing with a group of like minded mom friends to hang out with (and not to mention WhatsApp on the nightly 2 am feed)
My prenatal practice soon became my postnatal saviour. And not only did we both just reap the yoga benefits then, this continued. Toddler yoga, kids yoga, mom yoga, and it all even lead me down the perfect path to becoming a yoga teacher myself. And my little one well he’s now six and an experienced mini yogi and an amazing skateboarder. I put it all down to the balance and techniques of yoga.
So if you are looking for an activity to do as a new mom to get fit and healthy, enjoy time bonding with your new baby, and meet other like minded new moms then this could be for you. As your little one gets bigger don’t think you can’t get on the mat together. There are the slightly wilder (but oh SO much fun) mom and toddler classes where you both get to do yoga together and then the amazing kids yoga classes which through a creative story adventure your child will learn through acting out the fun postures.
Baby yoga is just the beginning of both yours and your child’s mat time together.
So well done mom you’ve got it! Some days you may feel like the world is crumbling around you and others you are that yogi super woman but just know that to your children you are always super mom. They don’t see the flaws which we pick holes in they just see you and love you for being you (flaws and all) so here’s a big pat on the back for being mom.